37. Tomb of the Cybermen

Season 5 kicks off with a bang! The Cybermen are back, bigger and badder than ever. For once, we invade their space (or the planet they conquered and are now occupying). I have to say, hands down, the Tomb of the Cybermen is my favorite 2nd Doctor episode ever! Patrick Troughton is front and center and dominates the story. Taking the lead companion role, now that Ben & Polly have departed, Jamie is more prominent. And as this is Victoria's first trip in the TARDIS, she is great as the wide-eyed newbie. It amazing thought how quickly she dumps her Victorian garb for a very modern mini-skirt.

Of the supporting cast, we have a cornucopia of characters with some of the best human villains to do. And of course the Cybermen are in top form, with the introduction of the Cyber Controller. We are also introduced to the cutes addition to the Who mythos- the cybermat. The interesting turn of story is that this time, it is the humans that are invading the Cybermen's space. But of course once you've woken the bear, the bear's going to eat you. This story does have a high body count, and I'm reminded of the 6th Doctor's revisit to Telos in Attack of the Cybermen, when next we see the Cyber Controller. That story also had a high body count and received quite a bit of criticism for it.

For quite some time, this story was lost to the world and only recently was found in some far off land. And I must say, thank our lucky stars it was because it's simply one of the best stories ever!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tomb_of_the_Cybermen